[rish_arora]

I read somewhere that Honda accepted that it was trying to play mass market game in India & failed and now they want to regain their "Premium" image back with the launch of new vehicles, starting with the Amaze -> CR-V -> New Civic -> Next-gen City. I haven't had the chance to look into the new Amaze, but it seems that majority of the "cheap" stuff is gone from it (comparing to the old gen Amaze).

But there is still scope of improvement in terms of fit and finish (as mentioned in the Official T-BHP review). Now Amaze is a compact sedan, and it has to be in budget to take on the segment leader (Suzuki Dzire), so we can give that one to Honda as Amaze is a competent product.

Coming to the CR-V, the Civic and the next-gen City, Honda needs to get its act together as there shouldn't be room for cost-cuttings if Honda wants to regain its market image of "premium". As such all these products are on the dearer side of 1 million, Customer expectations are more and the competition is brutal. Being a Honda fan for its legacy offerings (The 1st gen City, the Civic), I hope that they manage to bring World-Class products to our shores.

[Adi22]

What can CRV offer for 30 lakhs price range than the competition would be the question ?

Honda is losing its charm for sure. The new amaze, no need to talk, except the cvt diesel match, the rest is just not what Honda should be. Looking at the products like ecosport, hexa which cost half that amount, the upcoming harrier with a capable platform, can the CRV as an overall prodcut be twice as good for that price. Have to wait & see.

I still have a 10 year old civic & which i cannot convince myself to replace. Fantastic product overall. Everything about it puts a smile on every drive. The overall feel.

Are they providing a 9 speed DCT gearbox on the diesel ?

[PrideRed]

I somehow feel CR-V will be one rare SUV where petrol models will outsell diesel models. Once launched, I believe Cost/BHP of CRV diesel would be one of the highest ! I am sure a car this size will struggle big time up in hills when loaded.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

I somehow feel CR-V will be one rare SUV where petrol models will outsell diesel models.

CRV has always been a petrol and hence we might feel it will continue to be the choice. However, a lot will depend on how Honda equips the models. Many buyers will opt for the top end model which I think will be the diesel not the petrol.

In my case, while I am disappointed with the engine offerings, I am sold on the car. Engine is not really a priority because the CRV will replace my Fortuner which is 95% chauffeur driven. It will do only a handful of highway runs in a year, 90% of it's usage will be within Mumbai tackling our bad roads.
Hence I am leaning towards the petrol even though the power output is horrid. However, I am hoping they offer the petrol in the 5 seater version with all the bells and whistles like Panoramic roof, button gears(doubtful as the CVT petrol internationally has a lever), etc. If they don't offer the all the features, I will be forced to get the top end diesel.

The third row of the CRV is a waste, most reviews have already said its amongst the most cramped seats and not even short adults can sit. Moreover, it will eat up the boot space even when collapsed down. Hence I hope they offer a fully loaded version in 5 seat configuration too.

Lastly, I wonder why Honda has taken the journalists to Manila for the review when the launch is 2 months away. By now they should have had some local production kits ready, unless they are planning to just launch the car in October and give deliveries later.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Sahil

CRV has always been a petrol and hence we might feel it will continue to be the choice. However, a lot will depend on how Honda equips the models. Many buyers will opt for the top end model which I think will be the diesel not the petrol.

In my case, while I am disappointed with the engine offerings, I am sold on the car. Engine is not really a priority because the CRV will replace my Fortuner which is 95% chauffeur driven. It will do only a handful of highway runs in a year, 90% of it's usage will be within Mumbai tackling our bad roads.

This was exactly previous gen CR-V's customer base and we all know its quite small. While many do self drive, majority of travel is within city only. The diesel SUV lovers will not like the motor and pretty much the reason why I see if one want's buy this CRV, it has to be petrol.

[OrangeCar]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Lastly, I wonder why Honda has taken the journalists to Manila for the review when the launch is 2 months away. By now they should have had some local production kits ready, unless they are planning to just launch the car in October and give deliveries later.

Some manufacturers, such as Honda, believe in 'wow-ing' auto journalists by sponsoring a trip abroad. This, manufacturers believe will help in making journalists be more sympathetic towards the car and not write harsh reviews (even better if they are very positive). It probably does with some not-so-independent reviewers/journalists.

Honda did it during BRV's launch too. Toyota too has sponsored many a journalists at different times to Japan.

[AbhiJ]

Is Honda trying to sell the Diesel CRV as a fuel efficient SUV? Otherwise, 120 bhp diesel engine decision makes very little sense.

The whole thing boils down to price now. IMO thats gonna make or break this generation of CRV in India. Honda, are you listening?

Originally Posted by Sahil

The third row of the CRV is a waste, most reviews have already said its amongst the most cramped seats and not even short adults can sit. Moreover, it will eat up the boot space even when collapsed down. Hence I hope they offer a fully loaded version in 5 seat configuration too.

Even if I buy one, I will be possibly removing the rear seats.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by motorworks

Slightly OT, Happened to see the Autocar review of the Amaze diesel auto vs Ameo Auto, and in spite of the huge difference in power figures between the 2, the Amaze was faster in all acceleration figures including 0-100 and in gear acceleration. I think the Ameo has something like 105 or 110 bhp vs something like 70 or 80 in the Amaze. Even the torque figures were way higher in the Ameo.

Could be down to the gear box, but the Ameo actually has the DSG, so it does not have any disadvantage there too.

The point being Honda may actually get even that 120bhp engine in the CRV to work well for its size. Surely the buyers of the CRV are most my rear seat passengers and even if driven by self they would not expect any aggressive performance. So Honda might just be able to get it right for that customer base.

I agree, the numbers on paper are not everything but the perception battle will kill it, someone who puts 30 large on a car this size will simply not digest the power figures from the word go, I believe a test drive might probably change his opinion but with the perception battle, he just won't reach the showroom.

[Redline6800]

It appears that Honda is back on form with the new CR-V in terms of fit and finish - the paint looks outstanding in the photographs and the interiors are waaay better than the older cheaped out CR-V. The leather seats look good, the wood finish is tastefull and I like the instrument panel.

I can only imagine the sales guys of the competition sniggering and telling customers - its only 120 bhp saar!

Honda needs to price the CR-V intelligently - better an underpowered car priced well than a powerful one that is overpriced.

All pics below courtesy Autocar India.

[Ithaca]

Autocar has just posted an article regarding Honda CRV vs its rivals.
Autocar expects the pricing to be as follows.

One thing that is unlikely to change with the new CR-V is its high price. When it launches in October this year, the CR-V range is expected to start at Rs 27 lakh for the petrol trim, with the diesel variants priced north of Rs 30 lakh.

Don't understand what the people at Honda India are smoking if they seriously think anyone is going to plonk this kind of money on their vehicles when better alternatives exist. How long can a company survive on past reputation alone.

Seems like they are not interested in selling better cars in our market. I will now have to look elsewhere for my next purchase.
This seems like a dud from the get go.

Autocar India

[R4m4kr15hn4n]

Why is Honda hell bent upon destroying its brand here? With just 120hp, even Hyundai's 1.6L diesel engine is more powerful and CR-V is supposed to take on Fortuner, Endeavor, Tiguan and Kodiaq. Honda has really lost it, with both the engine choice and pricing. Very disheartening to see this.

[Aaron:)]

27 lakhs for the petrol and 30 lakhs for the diesel is way too high. It's almost in Kodiaq territory.

Honda being Honda, they won't price it like the Tucson. But ideally, it should be positioned bang against the Tiguan. This way, the CR-V will seem VFM as it's bigger, more SUV-like and offers 7 seats. Anything higher, and it'll be a hard sell.

[bhpfaninblr]

Originally Posted by R4m4kr15hn4n

Why is Honda hell bent upon destroying its brand here? With just 120hp, even Hyundai's 1.6L diesel engine is more powerful and CR-V is supposed to take on Fortuner, Endeavor, Tiguan and Kodiaq. Honda has really lost it, with both the engine choice and pricing. Very disheartening to see this.

The Verna and Creta have a 1.6 L Diesel that churns out 127 bhp of torque. CR-V will be a segment higher with the Creta engine. That is not going to sell much

Originally Posted by Aaron:)

27 lakhs for the petrol and 30 lakhs for the diesel is way too high. It's almost in Kodiaq territory.

Honda being Honda, they won't price it like the Tucson. But ideally, it should be positioned bang against the Tiguan. This way, the CR-V will seem VFM as it's bigger, more SUV-like and offers 7 seats. Anything higher, and it'll be a hard sell.

Tucson is in a different league than CRV with a 2.0 L turbo diesel that makes a monstrous 50% higher bhp than the CRV diesel. No comparison here.

[vipul_singh]

I am surprised that there is little (no?) news on the petrols. With the disppointing headline numbers of the diesel engine, perhaps the petrols can redeem the CRV (especially with the ongoing shift towards petrols)?

Also, what gearbox(es) is the petrol CRV likely to be paired with for India? Any chance of a six-speed manual?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by vipul_singh

I am surprised that there is little (no?) news on the petrols.

Nothing much to hope there either. India is getting the 2.0L petrol engine only as per Autocar India. Should produce around 154hp, same as current entry versions of the CRV.

From the previous version Team Bhp review -

The 2.0 is a smooth motor and is meant for the sedate driver who doesn't want extraordinary performance. Low end torque is just about acceptable, and this is a typical Honda engine that you need to revv to get the best out of. In bumper to bumper traffic, the mediocre torque (only 190 Nm) is evident and you have to keep your left hand busy with the gearshift.

On the open road, the 2.0L is extremely redline happy, like most Honda petrols. In fact, the 2.0 MT feels quicker than the 2.4 AT (although it might be a different story with the 2.0 AT which we haven't driven). The 6th gear ratio is very tall and should maximise tank range on long highway drives.